AFGE LOCAL 2650                                                        

 

                                    LOCAL 2650 of FOOD INSPECTION       

Locals of

American Federation of Government Employees

(AFL-CIO)    

  

NEWS  

 

 

AFGE Council 45 supports the thousands of dedicated Food & Consumer Safety Inspectors working on the front lines of the meat, poultry, and egg products industries, usually under unsafe conditions, and safeguarding the American food supply.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulation that requires federal food inspectors to merely monitor plant records rather than inspect the food Americans eat is being challenged in court by AFGE.

The lawsuit, filed April 8 on behalf of the meat and poultry inspectors AFGE represents, seeks to halt USDA's implementation of a rule that in effect deregulates the critical post-mortem inspection of meat and poultry carcasses and instead relies on an industry "honor system." "The meat and poultry industry should assume more responsibility for its products but not at the cost of eliminating vital hands-on inspections by qualified government inspectors," emphasized Delmer Jones, head of AFGE's National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals and a 39-year veteran meat and poultry inspector.

AFGE is asking that the court order the USDA to continue its post-mortem examination of all meat and poultry carcasses by federal inspectors rather than turning the plant inspection process over to the industry.

"This is a backdoor attempt to change administratively what Congress would never consider changing legislatively--severely weakening the entire meat and poultry inspection process," National President Bobby L. Harnage pointed out. "We're not about to sit back and watch while USDA abdicates its responsibilities to American consumers."

GET INVOLVED
Contact AFGE Council 45

Stan Painter
NJC Chairman, AFGE Council 45
Southern Council
4673 Country Road 24
Crossville, Al 35962
Phone: (256) 659-3391
Fax: (256) 659-3395
Email: southerncouncil@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.the-inspector.com/ 

Inspectors: Don't forget to join us in the Chat Room, Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM Central Time.

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Help Preserve Federal Meat Inspection

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Meat Agreement in Senate Farm Bill

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